Day: December 20, 2016

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the signing of Liam McCormick from NPL Victoria club, Bentleigh Greens.

McCormick joins the club following an extremely successful period with the Greens, where the tough and hard working utility played an integral role in the club’s Championship success in 2015, as well two large FFA Cup performances in 2014 and 2016. He also won the Dockerty Cup in 2016.

Many Football fans would also be familiar with McCormick through Reality TV show Football Superstar, where at the time he won a Youth Team contract with A-League outfit Brisbane Roar.

Speaking to smfc.com.au. Football Director Nicholas Maikousis was excited with our new midfielder. “Liam is a versatile and tough midfielder who will add a large amount to our squad. He was always a tough opponent whenever we played Bentleigh, so its fantastic to have him come to the Club ahead of the 2017 season. As a natural born winner and a ruthless competitor, we can’t wait to see him play in our shirt.”

We welcome Liam to the Club and look forward to seeing him in 2017.

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm its senior coaching structure alongside Chris Taylor for the 2017 NPL Men’s Season.

Chris Marshall will continue his role as the Club’s Senior Adviser, providing Taylor with trusted support both during the week’s training, game day preparation and on match days in the same manner as 2016. Despite the role formally being created in 2016, Marshall has been valuable support for Taylor and the Senior Squad for the past four seasons.

Sasa Kolman will join the Senior Coaching Team for 2017, having returned to the Club following a stint working in Europe. Kolman will be responsible for opposition and match day analysis and assist the club throughout the week also at training. Given his strong connection with our Youth Program, Kolman will also be involved developing our Youth Team players who are making the transition to the Senior Team.

John Kobiela will continue as the Club’s High-Performance Manager in the same manner as last season. John has previously worked with Melbourne Heart, Central Coast, Cricket Victoria, Fremantle Football Club and the Young Socceroos in maintaining elite athlete performance. He will once again work with our players throughout pre-season and throughout 2017.

Bojo Jevdjevic will continue as the Club’s Goalkeeping Coach for a third consecutive season. The former NSL Player will once again work with Nikola Roganovic and Zaim Zeneli in the upcoming season.

The coaches will be assisted by Frank Piccione, who will continue as the Club’s Senior Operations and Team Manager for a ninth season in a row.

James Cole and the team at Kieser Training will once again oversee the medical side of the club in 2017 also. Kieser have been a tremendous supporter of the Club through their Corporate Partnership for the past 3 seasons and we once again look forward to having them a part of the club this season.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Football Director Nicholas Maikousis welcomed the off-field team for 2017. “We are happy to retain all of our off-field football staff for 2017 and given the way we have operated in 2016, we are pleased with the outcome. We’d also like to welcome Sasa Kolman to the Senior Operations following his stint overseas. Sasa has had a large impact on our Youth Program to date, so we are pleased to have him come across and assist with both the senior and youth sides of the club.”

We wish all of our Senior Men’s coaches the best for the 2017 season.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the signing of Francesco Stella for the 2017 NPL Victoria season, with the midfielder joining from Norwegian Second Division Club Nest Sotra.

Stella re-joins South 8 years following his initial debut with the club, with the former SMFC Under 21 Player of the Year having already played 19 matches across two seasons in a SMFC shirt. His attacking flair and speed saw him move overseas at the end of the 2009 season, signing for Italian Club Siena.

In recent seasons, Stella has spent time with A-League teams Melbourne Victory and Central Coast, Scottish giants Rangers, as well as Avondale in the NPL Victoria competition.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Football Director Nicholas Maikousis welcome Stella back to Lakeside Stadium. “We’d like to welcome Francesco back to the club and are excited that we have a player with A-League and International experience join the club for the upcoming season. As someone who understands what it means to play for the club, we hope we can see the best of him throughout the upcoming season.”

We would like to wish Francesco all the best for the 2017 season.